The group that ran the Hindutva Watch handle on Twitter which flagged instances of violence and bigotry from an extreme form of Hindu nationalism had long been accustomed to being abused and trolled for content critical of the Indian government.
Yet even they were stunned when the account with nearly 26,000 followers was abruptly suspended in April with no reason given.
The suspension of that, and dozens of accounts deemed to be critical of the government, came shortly after the launch of a cybercrime volunteers program by the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs to report illegal or unlawful
Government invites citizen volunteers to flag unlawful, anti-national content as content removal requests on social media have surged. Activists fear creation of surveillance state.
The group that ran the Hindutva Watch handle on Twitter - which flagged instances of violence and bigotry from an extreme form of Hindu nationalism - had long been accustomed to being abused and trolled for content critical of the Indian government.